


as the carnations bloom

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Best Friends, First Kiss, Flowers, Language of Flowers, M/M, Suburbia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Junhui presses his lips onto Wonwoo's, slipping the red carnation into Wonwoo's hair, and Wonwoo knew exactly what it meant; deep love and affection.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Kudos: 48





	as the carnations bloom

The suburbs was a boring place to live in, in Junhui's opinion. Nothing ever really happened. In fact, the latest and probably rhe most exciting news that circulated in this small neighbourhood, was when their cop neighbour cheated on his wife—and that was six years ago.

Junhui was about twelve when that event happened and when he formulated that opinion. Now that he's way older, Junhui constantly internally thanked his parents that they decided to live here. He _loves_ it in the suburban area. 

It was quiet, but not too quiet that the silence became deafening. It was far from the city, but not _too_ far that it became inaccessible.

If he was Goldilocks, he would say, "This neighbourhood is just right!"

Junhui thinks that he is, indeed, fortunate. Additionally, his best friend was also his next-door neighbour, so add that into Junhui's _list of things that are too good to be true_.

Currently, Junhui is sitting crossed-legged in front of Wonwoo, on the soft grass of their backyard. The place was littered with an assortment of flowers and plants. It was colourful, and organized in a way that didn't look distasteful to the eyes.

"How does this look?" Wonwoo asks him, holding up a flower crown. "Do you think this suits me or you more?"

Junhui grins and takes the flower crown gently from Wonwoo's hands and places it delicately on Wonwoo's head. "Definitely suits you more."

Next to playing video games, making flower crowns with Wonwoo was his favourite past time. It was something that only the two of them shared, and that fact alone has given the action a deeper meaning.

Wonwoo hums, taking Junhui's flower crown and examining it. "Why did you put geraniums and carnations together?"

"Does it look ugly?" Junhui asks, but Wonwoo shakes his head. "Then what is it?"

Wonwoo says nothing for a while, but as he places the flower crown on Junhui's fluff of hair, he says, "Geraniums symbolize stupidity; white carnations symbolize pure love—you know this."

"Ah, of course, I know this," Junhui lies, stumbling over his words. "My flower crown can be—it means—I can explain. Since geraniums are dumb, carnations are love, it can simply be interpreted as _foolish admiration_."

Wonwoo laughs this time. "You're lying!"

"I am not!" Junhui huffs, crossing his arms childishly. "That was what I thought of while I was making it!"

"No, you were stuttering and stumbling over your words!"

Junhui and Wonwoo stay there, arguing for minutes, and they burst into laughter at almost every single word.

If anyone ever saw them like this—a pair of eighteen year-old boys laughing maniacally in a backyard with flower crowns messily placed on top of their heads—they would definitely be labeled as odd.

And most probably _gay_ by their old homophobic neighbours, which would be something that the both of them wouldn't deny.

"Hey," Wonwoo says, looking at the salmon-coloured sky as the sun sets. "It's getting kind of late. Are you going home or sleeping over?"

"I'm going home," Junhui says, brushing himself off as he stands up. He doesn't miss the way Wonwoo slightly pouts, so he offers a hand to him and tells him, "I'll change my clothes first, Won. And then ask mom."

"Okay." Wonwoo takes his hand.

They both enter Wonwoo's house through the backdoor, and in the kitchen, they see Wonwoo's mother making dinner.

"Hello, boys," Wonwoo's mother smiles warmly at them. She looks at the top of their heads and her smile widens. "Flower crowns, again?"

"Oh, we forgot to take them off," Wonwoo realizes. He sets both of their crowns on the counter. "We'll leave these here."

Wonwoo's mother raises an eyebrow at him and Wonwoo sighs. "I'll come back for these and clean them up myself, mom."

Her gaze turns to Junhui, who was just listening amusedly at their conversation. "Aren't you staying for dinner, Jun?"

"I'll go home, auntie, but thanks for the invite," Junhui answers politely. "Maybe I'll come back after dinner, since Wonwoo said he wanted a sleepover."

"That's fine, too. Don't you guys stay up late."

Junhui and Wonwoo nod in response. Wonwoo walks Junhui to the front door. "You better come back," Wonwoo jokes.

Junhui rolls his eyes. "Yes, dummy."

Later that night, in Wonwoo's room, the both of them set up sleeping bags on the floor.

"You can stay on your bed, and I'll sleep in my sleeping bag," Junhui says. But Wonwoo doesn't listen and he continues preparing two sleeping bags. "Wonwoo."

"Yes?" Wonwoo blinks at him innocently. He drops the façade when Junhui pouts at him. "I don't like sleeping on my bed when you'll probably be uncomfortable on the floor."

"I won't be uncomfortable on the floor," Junhui reassures. "And it's fairer for you to sleep on your bed because this is your bedroom."

"Exactly. My bedroom, so my rules," Wonwoo tells him cheekily.

"We'll both be uncomfortable on the floor, then?"

Wonwoo taps his chin for a moment, in deep thought. And then a grin slips on his face like he just thought of the smartest thing in the world. "Then we'll both sleep on the bed!"

Junhui feels his face heating up. _Together? On the bed?_

Junhui was well aware that he and Wonwoo had been friends since middle school, but he seriously could not fathom the thought of _sharing a bed_ with Wonwoo.

Wonwoo looks at him weirdly, and Junhui guesses that he must look very red right now.

"Are you flustered?" Wonwoo teased him. And then his face turns into a concerned one. "It's okay, we don't have to."

Junhui waves him off. "No, no, it's fine! We're best friends, you know. What the hell."

There's a look in Wonwoo's eyes that Junhui can't seem to decipher, but it's gone as quickly as it came.

Junhui tries to avert their attention to the sleeping bags. "Should we keep these and move the blankets and pillows to the bed?"

Right now, Junhui feels as if there was an awkward atmosphere in the room. He wonders _why_. He and Wonwoo have been best friends for _years_. They had sleepovers almost every single day, and now that they're grown-up teenagers, they suddenly feel tense.

It doesn't make sense at all.

Nonetheless, the both of them end up climbing into the bed, and Wonwoo's asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. But there are a thousand of thoughts running inside Junhui's mind that kind of prevents him from sleeping.

It just felt so odd for him, because for the past few weeks, he'd been feeling a lot stranger and more self-conscious around Wonwoo.

Did he suddenly realize something about their friendship?

Now that they thought about it, there was something off, because although they considered each other as best friends, there were other people that treated them more... _platonically._

And then the thought hits him like a truck in the middle of the night.

_Do I have a crush on Wonwoo?_

Junhui's eyes wander to Wonwoo who was facing him, already sleeping soundly. Wonwoo's face was illuminated by the soft orange glow of the night light. Junhui thinks, _pretty._

And then he starts internally panicking again.

Not to mention that earlier today, when Wonwoo looked up to see the sunset, and his facial features were accentuated by the low shadows, Junhui's heart skipped a beat.

Wonwoo had always been good-looking and handsome, in Junhui's opinion, but now that he's seeing him in another light, he thinks, _has he always been this beautiful?_

Junhui closes his eyes tightly, as if he was begging to rid himself of those thoughts. And pretty soon, he slips into a deep sleep.

Junhui gets awakened by Wonwoo at 5 AM. That was a wild guess that he made based on the colour of the sky, but it turns out that he was actually correct.

Wonwoo drags him down the stairs and through the living room, outside of the kitchen, and then they end up sitting on the cold and tiny benches of Wonwoo's backyard.

"What are we doing here?" Junhui yawned. He leans on Wonwoo, still slightly tired.

"We're going to watch the sunrise."

Junhui doesn't say anything, but he does sit up a little straighter. They stay like that for a while—sitting peacefully side by side, shoulders and legs touching.

His eyes wander to the dark red carnations on one corner of the garden. He stands up and bends down to pluck one from the bush carefully.

He can feel Wonwoo's eyes on him with every move that he took. When Junhui turns around, holding the carnation in his hand, he sees the sun rising slowly, and Wonwoo's face was illuminated by the soft daylight.

Junhui goes back and sits again beside his best friend.

"Why did you get one?" Wonwoo asks him, gesturing at the flower.

Junhui takes a deep breath. _Why did he take one?_

He clears his throat, and with a lot of pent-up courage, he says, "I have a confession to make."

Wonwoo looks at him concernedly and weirdly, like Junhui had grown an extra head. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Junhui whispers, now seemingly weak at the sound of Wonwoo's voice. But, God, he just wanted to get this over with. "I think I like you. A lot."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Wonwoo giggles a little bit. "Oh."

"Is that what you have to say?" Junhui asks him, pouting a little bit. "Are you not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Wonwoo asks him quietly, taking Junhui's hand in his. "Do you want to know a little secret?"

Junhui nods.

"I really like you, too." Wonwoo says it in such a soft voice that makes Junhui want to melt on the spot. "For a while, now, I think."

Junhui's mouth opens unflatteringly. And then, with every ounce of courage in him, he asks, "Can I kiss you?"

Wonwoo replies so late that Junhui gets worried he might have made Wonwoo uncomfortable. And then, Wonwoo nods, pulling Junhui closer, holding him by the nape of his neck. They can feel their breaths, hot on each other's lips.

Junhui closes the small gap and presses his lips onto Wonwoo's, slipping the dark red carnation into Wonwoo's hair, just above his ear, and Wonwoo knew exactly what it meant; deep love and affection.

**Author's Note:**

> i procrastinated so im sorry if it was bad jsjfjkshfskhfks it probably has typos so pls point them out


End file.
